Page 4. -The Porlland Observer-January 15, 1492
I -y
PoWant) Observer
The St. Olaf Choir
IFCC Presents Pulitzer Prize-Winning Drama
A Soldier’s Play by Charles Fuller
Tech Sergeant Waters (George Rankins) confronts Peterson (Brian
Dance) a soldier who resents the sergeant's harsh style. Photo by Jon
Gottshall
The year is 1944, At a segregated
army base near the town o f Tynin,
Louisiana, a tough black Technical
Sergeant is found shot to death along a
deserted country road. Is Captain Taylor,
the white Commanding officer of the
base’s black soldiers, doing everything
he can to find the killer? Are his
superior officers doing what they can to
help, or are they hiding something?
Will Captain Davenport, the black offi­
cer sent to investigate the murder, be
able to prosecute the case in this big­
oted southern town if he discovers the
killer was white? And what about the
victim ,
T echnical
Sergeant
Waters...what kind of man was he, and
who would want to kill him?
A SOLDIER’S PLAY is a fasci­
nating detective story, and more, it is a
gripping exploration of racial tensions
and attitudes among blacks and be­
tween blacks and whites that gives no
easy answers or blame.
Seattle director, Michelle Blackmon
(best known in Portland for her recent
production of “ A My Name is Alice”
at Oregon Stage Company) returns to
work with a fine cast of Portland actors,
including Neal Thomas as Captain Dav­
enport, Rand Kennedy as Captain Taylor,
and George Rankins as Tech Sergent
Waters.
Thanks to a generous grant from
the Meyer Memorial Trust, A SOL­
DIER’S PLAY will be shared with 1,500
local students at special matinee per­
formances. Public performances run
January 24 - February 23, Fridays and
Saturdays at 8pm and Sundays at 2pm.
Please note: Saturday Feb. 1 is sold
out. Tickets are S10, with a price of $8
for students and seniors. Some day of
show discounts and group rates also ap­
ply. For information and reservations
call 823-2000.
Spike Lee Continues Production of
‘Malcom X’
Dire< tor Spike Lee, who recently
completed principal photography on
the U.S. portion of his epic feature
‘‘Malcolm X,” will take his star, Os-
car-winner Denzel Washington, and
crew to Africa this month to complete
the final portion of the film’s five-
month shooting schedule.
Last summer, as special guests of
King Fahd of Saudi Arabia, Lee’s pro­
duction team received unprecedented
access to the Holy City of Mecca dur­
ing the annual Hajj (pilgrimage) made
by Muslims, becoming the first com­
mercial camera crew to capture the
sacred ceremony on film. This footage
will be incorporated with the scenes of
‘‘Malcolm X ” to be filmed later this
month.
On location in egypt for a week,
Lee, Washington and the film’s pro­
duction team, including director of
photography Ernest Dickerson, produc­
tion designer Wynn Thomas and cos­
tume designer Ruth Carter, will re-cre­
ate Malcolm X ’s 1964 Hajj and his visit
to the pyramids of Egypt. Several
hundred Egyptians will appear as ex-
Yr A7]
ENTERTAINMENT
tras.
‘‘Malcolm X ’’ stars Denzel Wash­
ington in the title role. Portraying
Malcolm’s wife, Betty Shabazz, is
Angela Bassett; A1 Freeman Jr. plays
the Honorable Elijah Muhammad. Other
major roles feature Delroy Lindo as
West Indian Archie, a Harlem gang­
ster; Albert Hall, as Baines, a fellow
prison inmate who introduces Malcolm
to The Nation of Islam; Theresa Randle
as Laura, a young Black woman who
falls in love with the teenaged Mal­
colm; and Kate Vernon as Sophia, a
white woman who is Malcolm’s lover
and cohort during his hustling years.
A production of 40 Acres And A
Mule Filmworks and Marvin Worth
Productions, ‘‘Malcolm X ” will be
distributed by Warner Bros, in the
United States and Canada and by Largo
Entertainment overseas. The produc­
ers are Marvin Worth and Spike Lee;
the screenplay is by the late Pulitzer
Prize-winner James Baldwin and Ar­
nold Perl, adapted from ‘‘The Autobi­
ography of Malcolm X ” as rewritten
by Spike Lee.
KMHD
FM89.1
MOTOWNPLATINUM SMILES: Motown’s triple platinum debut sensation
Boyz II Men have been entrenched in the Top 20 of the pop albums
charts with Cooleyhighharmony for six solid months and recently were
nominated for five American Music Awards and four NAACP Image
Awards along with Grammy Award nods. As if that alone wasn't enough
to smile about, label mate Shanice Wilson, who is #1 on the R&B singles
chart and is Top 20 pop with her “I Love Your Smile" single from her
Inner Child L.P., joined them at Motown for this photo. USA Today (1/2/
92) proclaimed Shanice as one of the hottest artists to watch in 1992:
"She can handle pop, R&B and dance, as well as rap inspired new jack
swing... With Narada Michael Walden as her producer now, Shanice can
look forward to crossing over into pop." (l-r: Wanya Morris, Nate Morris,
Shanice Wilson, Michael McCary and Shawn Stockman).
House Of Exodus Bingo
OPENS
DECEMBER 6,1991
FRIDAY EVENING
AT DIVISION ST. CORRAL BINGO
17110 S.E. DIVISION
PORTLAND, OR 97233
761-8548
“ Pitch was remarkably secure, as was
tone, ensemble, diction, and general
vivacity. The singing was a credit to the
conductor and to the college itself."
The New York Times
"Despite all that can be said for the
choir's high technical standard, the
most important praise remains, namely
to acclaim its fullness of expression,
its devotion and sincerity, warmth of
feeling, and the joy of singing which
penetrated every number."
Morgenavisen (Norway), reviewing
the Choir's appearance at the Bergen
International Music Festival
"The voices are young, with good tone
quality and well placed. Their pitch is
impeccable, the section balance perfect,
and all their interpretations reveal a
profound understanding of the texts."
Le Progress (Lyon, France), after the
Choir s performance at the Strasbourg
International Music Festival
♦Silk Specialists
♦Drapery Cleaning
♦All-Weather Proofing of
Ski Wear, Rainwear, etc.
Enjoy our quality dry cleaning, laundry, and
alterations while meeting our new management
Marva Mitchell
OPEN MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY TO SERVE YOU
Mon - Fri 8 am to 6 pm, Saturdays 9 am to 4 pm
The Women’s Caucus
For Art Organization
D i® ® « OIL'G’ 5cBSii)SMSSi:'?w80S Presents
The downtown YWCA at 1111
S.W. 10th Ave. will be the new loca­
tion for the meetings of the Women’s
Caucus for Art Organization. The first
meeting of 1992 on January 26 at 5pm
will be held in conference room #2 on
the main floor. A representative of the
Culture Shock Gallery, which features
works by people of color, will speak on
the workings and goals of the gallery.
The WCA, which meets the4th Sunday
of each month, is a networking organi­
zation for the promotion of political
and financial parity for women artists -
New members arc welcome. For fur­
ther information, call 233-9649.
Q
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71
L i L I I i p
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appy Blue Year” Celebration
JThe Norman Sylvester Band
with The Sweet Thangs
Introducing from Sigaioka, Fiji
"The South Pacific Bluesman
A
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Plus
O
an All-star Line-up of
K Portland's Finest Musicians
M U 5 IC
M IL L E N N IU M
Texas iB
jjq p o B
...If It’s Jazz, It's On KMHD!
the choral art."
Here's what the critics have said over the
years about the St. O lal Choir:
289-6346
$75.00 PAYOUTS
BONANZA
LOTS OF SEATING
The Full Spectrum of Jazz...
Mainstream, BeBop, blues, Fusion, New Age.
"The past has laid a lin n foundation." Annstrong
notes. “ ( but I the focus for this tradition must be
to the future as we seek to serve others through
6800 NE Marfin Luther King, Jr. Blvd.
$500.00/53#
$200.00 CONSOLATION
WINNER TAKE ALL GAME
LOTS OF PARKING
Anton Armstrong, Conductor
‘Woocttawn Cleaners
DAY
TUESDAYS DOORS OPEN 9:00 AM
EARLY BIRD 10:00 AM SESSION (2)
EVENING
TUESDAYS DOORS OPEN 5:00 PM
FRIDAYS EARLY BIRD 6:30 PM
SATURDAYS
...All Jazz, All the Time.
...7 Days a Week, 365 Days a Year.
W ith the naming o f A n io n E. Arm strong as us
new music director. the Si. O la f C hoir begins a
new chapter in an illustrious history that has
spanned more than three-quarters o f a century.
Arm strong, a 1978 graduate o f St. O la f C o l­
lege. comes to the position front Grand Rapids.
M ich., where he was conductor ol the select
4 4 -member C ab in College A lu m n i Choir.
In addition Io a Bachelor o f Music degree
from St O laf. Arm strong holds a Masler o f
Music degree in choral music from the Univer­
sity o f Illin o is and a Doctor o f Musical Arts
degree in choral conducting from M ichigan
State University. A flilia te d w ith C alvin C o l­
lege since 19X0. he also served in Grand Rapids
as artistic direclor o f the St. C ecilia Music
Society, its treble chorus, the St. C ecilia Youth
Chorale, and conductor o f the Grand Rapids
Symphony Chorus.
The St. O la f C hoir has made annual tours
since 1912. when it was founded by F. M elius
Christiansen. It was the 1920 tour to the m ajor
music centers o f the East Coast, however, w hich
sowed the seeds o f the ensemble's national
reputation— and established itstf<u/>p<7/<z style
o f singing as a significant force in American
choral music.
U nder the adept d ire c tio n o f O la f C.
Christiansen— who succeeded his father in
1941- and o f Kenneth Jennings— who led the
group from I96X to 1990— the St. O la f C hoir
has continued to inspire and entertain audi­
ences in the United Stales. Europe, and Asia. In
19X6 it was one o f only five choirs from around
the w orld inv ited to participate in the O lym pic
A rts Festival in Seoul. South Korea. Two years
earlier, it celebrated its 75th anniversary w ith a
four-week tour that took it to Japan. Taiwan.
Hong Kong, and the People's Republic o f
China. In 1970 and 1972. the St. O la f C hoir
opened the Strasbourg International Music
Festival in France, where it achieved d istin c­
tion as the only collegiate group ever invited to
perform at the prestigious event.
Arm strong is well aware o f the St. O la f
C hoir 's history anil its place in Am erican choral
tradition His D M A. thesis was devoted to
"Celebrating 75 Years o f Musical Excellence:
The Evolution o f The St. O la f Choir."
32N D & E BURNSIDE
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>7 Sunday, January 19,1992
8:30 pm -12:30 am
23RD & N W JOHNSON
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